The 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE) kicks off in Shanghai from November 5th to 10th as global companies tap China’s growing market through the platform.
As a window into China’s high-level opening-up, the CIIE this year sets a new record in scale. It attracted 155 countries, regions, and international organisations. A total of 4,108 overseas enterprises take part in the event, including 290 Fortune Global 500 companies.
Spanning 430,000 square meters, the expo featured 461 new products, technologies, and services, highlighting future industries such as the low-altitude economy, humanoid robots and green low-carbon innovation.
Both the exhibition area and total number of participating companies reached record highs, demonstrating the strong growth in the huge Chinese market for foreign companies, a Chinese expert said.
Since its launch, the CIIE has become a powerful trade facilitator, with cumulative intended deals surpassing $500 billion in its first seven editions.
Global Companies View CIIE as A Platform for Cooperation
The CIIE continues to demonstrate China’s commitment to openness and global cooperation.
This year, the United Arab Emirates has been named a guest country of honour. Nadia Swan from Dubai said that the UAE has been a consistent presence at the CIIE for several years now – showcasing everything from logistics, aviation, financial services and camel milk products.
European companies also view the event as a stabilising platform for dialogue and cooperation. Swedish industry leaders such as SKF and Epiroc, as well as “regular participants” such as Elekta and Ericsson, gathered to showcase the latest achievements in green technology and high-end manufacturing.
Tino Zeiske, CEO of German multinational Metro, said that he has participated in the CIIE for the 8th time this year. “This year, like always, we bring new products and we want to show our strength,” he said.
China has achieved a lot in the area of digital innovation. Clearly, even in our business of retail, we are pretty much buying all these new technological solutions. The country has such a big potential and is moving forward all the time, Zeiske said.
Written by Sha Liu, additional reporting by Xinhua, China Daily and Global Times.
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